I was reminded to post these by the recent news on Stonehenge’s construction date. Sadly (but unsurprisingly) the Stonehenge stones have been roped off since 1977, unless you make a special booking. At Avebury there are no ropes or barriers, although I imagine that attempting to climb the stones would result in your immediate removal!

Further reading: Avebury: a present from the past

After an exhausting week, during which I’ve managed to injure my hip and shoulder (temporarily, I trust), this weekend is going to be pure bliss. I intend to move very little, but might start spinning up this fat braid of chocolatey BFL roving, courtesy of The Yarn Yard:

Good enough to eat. But I won’t.

Brace yourselves…

There, isn’t that perfectly hideous? I’m proud of it, though. It’s about 43 yards and 10 inches, or 39.5 metres. I don’t know what weight it is because it varies between slubby and thick to almost dental-floss thin. I’m happy to report that my spinning evened up considerably towards the end, though.

I used up all of the Bowmont roving that I bought at the iKnit day, and promptly ordered 100g of Blue Faced Leicester tops from World of Wool.

Attempt the Second:

I’m getting the hang of it now. It’s still thick-and-thin, but seems to get more consistent every time I pick up the spindle for another go - and I do so frequently. There is certainly a learning curve, but I like the challenge very much. I’m leching after a lighter spindle (so as to spin fingering and lace-weight - I would love to be able to use my own handspun in my doll clothes, for example!) and maybe a spinning wheel at some nebulous point in the future.

Further reading:

• iSpindle.com

  Lots of instructive videos, covering all aspects of spinning on a drop spindle.

• Spin-off magazine

  PDF articles on spinning basics and techniques.

• Ravelry group: Beginning Spinners

  Extremely informative forum - Ravelry members only, for now.

• Youtube: Spinning Up Close On a Drop Spindle
• Youtube: Drop Spindle Basics

  Abby Franquemont’s video tutorial and tips.

• Youtube: Drafting on a drop spindle

  Close-up of one drafting method.

• Wikipedia: Spinning article

  A good overview of spinning in general.

There was a knitted gingerbread house, raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital:

Our livestock came in the form of an angora rabbit, which shuffled about its cage quite contentedly. Next to it I saw my first active spinning wheel, although I’m not sure if it was angora fibre being spun.

My main purchase was from the Fibre Harvest stand, which was piled high with skeins of undyed and dyed yarn spun at Coldharbour Mill. Seriously good stuff. I had a fondle of the goods, and then spotted a deep, dark purple amidst the 4 ply. Love at first sight! I’ve been looking around for a rich purple 4 ply to make Garland from Rowan 44 (yes, it has batwing sleeves; no, I care not) but it was proving a fruitless search up til now. It had to be just the right kind of purple, you see. Anyway, this was on sale, and it’s a soft merino, and I bought six (!) skeins, which is probably too much, but I wanted to be absolutely sure I had enough. (Garland is knitting up beautifully.) As an added bonus, it’s also water-wheel spun.

I’ve wanted to try spinning for a while now, and the iKnit day seemed like the perfect place to pick up supplies. There weren’t a huge number of spindles around, but in the end I settled on one from the Wensleydale Longwool Sheepshop stall, carved by a neighbour of one of the women who sold it to me. Thank you to the nice girl - a fellow shopper - who advised me to go for the lighter spindle! I picked up a bag of Bowmont roving from the Devon Fine Fibres stall and had a little chat with the woman who raised the sheep - she was also very helpful, and gave me some good advice about fibre.

Speaking to the sellers, looking at all the local fibre and yarn, I had a wonderful sense of being connected - if that makes sense. Recently I’ve been thinking a good deal about where our clothing, food, and material ’stuff’ comes from. Food is becoming easier, as the shops are now labelling the countries of origin, but clothes are iffy. Technically you only have to sew on a label in this country for the item to be legitimately “made in England”, which is ridiculous. Super-cheap clothes are everywhere, and the resulting quality is equally low. Mass-production means we usually have no idea who made our clothes, too, and this has not always been the case.

Anyway, I think this is something I could go on about for a while, so suffice to say that I am very excited by the idea of taking local fibre from well-kept animals, spinning it by hand into yarn, and knitting that yarn into a garment, custom-fit to my shape and size. I’ll see what’s happening at every step of the way, I’ll have a full awareness of the time and effort it’s taken, and as a result I think I’ll cherish the thing more than anything shop-bought. (I’ll keep you posted!)

The other highlights of the day for me were the Yarn Harlot’s talk and the A Stitch in Time fashion show. Stephanie was so funny I think I cracked a rib laughing, but also thought-provoking and intelligent. I thought I’d enjoy it, but I had no idea how much. She’s a great speaker.

The fashion show was for designs from Jane Waller’s upcoming book, A Stitch in Time, which is inspired by clothing of the 1940s. This is right up my street, of course. The models were beautiful, the knits equally so. I didn’t get any photos myself, but there are some good ones in the iKnit Flickr pool, especially these.

If I’m honest, another part of the day that thrilled me was the knit-spotting. I felt like I should have been carrying a little notebook and writing down ‘Tangled Yoke: 1, Swallowtail Shawl: 5′, etc. Not only did I see some beautiful garments, but some people were kind enough to admire my Rambling Rose cardigan. (Er, I’ve not blogged it here yet! Will do soon.) I was really chuffed, and a little embarrassed, but in a good way. After all, Laura Zukaite designed the pattern, and I just did the easy bit. It was at this point that I made the startling discovery that everyone else was a knitter (or a crocheter, or a spinner). They got it. They knew what I was talking about! Glorious. And that, for me, was the joy of the day: people from all walks of life, getting together and sharing their craft. I can’t wait for next year.

My opinion changed slightly when I read Alison Uttley’s excellent A Traveller in Time. It’s the best kind of children’s book - it doesn’t talk down to or patronise the reader, and is therefore perfectly suited for adults as well - and has a wonderful dream-like fairytale quality. That was my first experience of historical fiction, and it made me realise that the dry lists of names and dates I was being taught at school actually corresponded to real people, with hopes, fears, and lives of their own.

In more recent years I’ve been reading Phillippa Gregory’s books on various Tudor characters. I find her writing a little bit hit or miss (and hated The Wise Woman, which seemed a huge deviation from her usual style) but for the most part, it’s good stuff, and although I’m no expert on the period, it feels accurate, which is important. I can’t count the number of historical novels - usually romances, actually - that I’ve laid down in disgust because of glaring errors, unusually modern heroines or ridiculous speech patterns. But then, I’m a pedant about that sort of thing (and I can’t stand the appalling TV series The Tudors, which seems to primarily concern itself with Henry’s libido). This is a rant for another time, though: long story short, my reading and research changed my mind about the Tudors, and made me very keen to visit the palace.

So, long preamble over, we come to the visit itself. I had a wonderful time. The Palace is easy to get to, the staff are friendly and knowledgeable, and the audio guides are excellent. I had forgotten about the later additions to the palace - William III and Mary’s apartments, and then later, George II and Caroline’s Georgian rooms (which are closer to my favourite historical period, the Regency). The layout of the rooms is fascinating - they are inter-linked in a long string, each getting you closer to the king’s inner sanctum. Very few one-door rooms leading off a central hall, as we’re used to, and therefore little chance for privacy. The intrigue and gossip of courtly life makes more sense when you see the way the courtiers lived.

I wanted desperately to take some of the portraits home with me, but I think someone might have noticed. Particularly notable were the “Hampton Beauties”, painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller, and the “Windsor Beauties” by Sir Peter Lely. They are lush, rich pictures of beautiful women in equally beautiful clothes. Unfortunately I couldn’t take photos in that part of the palace, and can’t find any online either, but they are well worth a look.

Some of the costumes from The Other Boleyn Girl were on show. Here I could take pictures, and did.

The gardens were exquisitely kept, and although the day was decidedly grey, there were splashes of colour everywhere:

Of course, I made my way through the maze, too (why is getting lost with a bunch of strangers so much fun?):

Further reading:

• The Beauties of Hampton Court

  A guidebook from 1845 (PDF download, or read online)

• The Windsor Beauties: Ladies of the Court of Charles II

  Revised edition of the 1928 text (preview only), with short biographies on each of the Beauties

I couldn’t let a month go by without posting once! It’s turning out to be a very busy summer. I’m feeling a bit weary, to be honest, but am taking some much-needed holiday soon.

The beret is Ysolda’s beautifully organic Rose Red pattern, and was a pleasure to knit. The cardigan (Rambling Rose from Interweave Knits Winter 06) is much closer to being finished than one might assume from the photo.

Now I’m going to fall into bed with a book (Pratchett’s Thud!, which is comfortable and fun and witty, and ideal for my post-11pm brain) and wish the next few weeks away. Bring on lie-ins and lazy afternoons…

Pattern: Faith by Kim Hargreaves
Yarn: Garnstudio Safran, colour #51 Petrol, just over 6 balls
Size: 34″, no modifications
Needles: 2.75mm, 3mm, 3.25mm

Reasons to love this top:

• The colour. Bright yet deep, vibrant but not garish. A feast for the eyes.
• The fit. Absolutely almost-perfect - I could wish for it to be perhaps an inch or two longer, but that’s just nitpicking (and I could probably block it out to that length if I wanted). If I had used the recommended yarn, RYC Bamboo Soft, the length would have very probably been fine as bamboo tends to droop a little.
• The yarn, which is smooth and soft and light, and perfect for warm summer days.
• The slightly puffed sleeves. (I love puffed sleeves.)
• The picot edging and eyelets, which are sweet, but not cloyingly so.
• The buttons - a lucky find in my local fabric shop, bought for a bargain price from the friendly proprietor.

Other reasons to be happy:

• It’s the weekend!
• Wimbledon has started, as has my extremely fickle method of tennis-watching (I decide who I’m supporting after about ten minutes into a game and stick with that decision until the match is over. In their next match I’m all too likely to prefer the other guy.)
• There’s a big clearance sale at John Lewis, starting tomorrow. I’m going yarn-hunting. Wish me luck!

*         *         *         *         *

Today’s interesting links:

• Twitter / MarsPhoenix

  The Mars Phoenix Lander is blogging (twittering? tweeting?) on Twitter. 'Nuff said.

• Cool Things: 10 Very Rare Clouds

  Awe-inspiring images of unusual cloud formations.

• Panache Shawl by Lankakomero

  Gorgeous lace shawl based on a Peacock's Tail doily pattern. I'd like to make the 3/4 circle version.

• knit lit: bonnie: the long & the short of it

  A knitted reproduction of Bonnie's yellow sweater from 'Bonnie & Clyde'. Sadly no pattern, but it makes me want to improvise my own version.

Art:

• Catherine's Animals
  Catherine Ledner's enchanting animal portraits span a whole range of species, from alligators to zebras. You can view the pictures and order prints from this site. Cow 2 is my favourite, although Ostrich comes a close second.
• Dan Hiller Altered Engravings (NOTCOT)
  NOTCOT's article on Dan Hiller's amazing illustrations of human-cephalopod hybrids. Bring on the tentacles!
• Desiree Dolron
  I keep returning to these outstanding photographs, especially the "Xteriors" series. There is a stillness about her work that evokes old portraiture and religious tableaux.

Fashion:

• Barbican - The House of Viktor & Rolf
  A new exhibition from the Dutch fashion duo - it's a complete collection of their work starting from 1992, but reproduced in miniature for dolls in a "theatrical installation". Sure to be interesting.
• Wardrobe Refashion: Sign Up
  Sign up for this year's Wardrobe Refashion, where you pledge not to buy new clothes for 2, 4 or 6 months. Instead, clothes will be recycled, renovated, pre-loved, thrifted or handmade.

Food:

• BBC Food - Recipes - Best chocolate cake
  Made this for Father's Day and it was a great success. Not too rich for my on-the-fence-about-chocolate mother.

Knitting:

• Handspun Recycled Newspaper Yarn | greenUPGRADER.com
  Use up old newspaper by spinning it into yarn and using it for household projects.
• Twist Collective
  An exciting online knitting magazine to be launched in August. You pay per pattern, giving the designers a better deal (something which I fully support). Some of my favourite knitwear designers are involved. The teasers are very tantalising!

Media:

• The Big Picture - Boston.com
  My new favourite blog. Powerful high-quality photographs of recent news stories. Not to be missed.
• The Incredible Hulk | Reviews | guardian.co.uk Film
  Hilarious review of The Incredible Hulk. Best line undoubtedly "Roth groin area ambiguous." Recommend everyone read this instead of watching the film, which sounds dire.

Misc:

• Your Personality Type: The Reliable Realist
  My personality type according to iPersonic.com. It seems pretty accurate.

Shopping:

• Ruby Emporium
  An UK-based online shop which sells Bésame cosmetics. I’ve been wanting to try these vintage-inspired products for ages, so I may have to place an order.

When my mind turns to a new interest or hobby, I like to delve into it as much as is humanly possible, so I’ve been looking for interesting and/or inspiring sewing sites. Here’s what I’ve turned up in the past few days:

Sew Retro: I could spend hours browsing through the archives (and have, in fact). It’s a group blog for people who make vintage patterns and retro clothing, and there are a lot of photos of finished garments! Often the pattern drawings are posted alongside the photos, which is very useful - I’m used to knitting patterns coming with several full-colour photographs, so you know exactly what it’ll look like, but when using old sewing patterns you have to rely on the cover illustration. Some of my favourite posts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Suzical.co.uk’s list of sewing blogs: Pretty self-explanatory - sewing blogs ordered by their Technorati ranking. I read quite a few of these. A Dress A Day is one of my favourite blogs out there.

U-Handblog: Lisa Lam’s excellent bag making blog, with oodles of free patterns and tutorials (a bag to match your summer dress, maybe?). She also runs a flickr group for handmade bags, and another specifically for bags made using her tutorials. An old favourite of mine!

Vintage Sewing Patterns Wiki: A valuable resource where people can browse patterns and see related blog posts, reviews, and sellers of said patterns.

Flickr Group - New Vintage Wardrobe: In their own words, “a group dedicated to the use of old patterns to make new fashions and vintage fabrics featured in new clothing.” Lots of photos, obviously.

Flickr Group - Vintage Apron Patterns: What, you never imagined yourself baking cakes wearing a sweet little flounced apron to protect your (immaculate) dress? Must be just me.

Flickr Group - Vintage Patterns: For sharing and viewing the envelope art on old patterns.

Now, with all these resources at my fingertips, I can hardly fail! (Famous last words.)

The typically unpredictable weather means that layering is essential, so I’m still plodding along on my Darcy and I’ve started a new cardigan from the same book (Kim Hargreaves’ Heartfelt) called Faith. I don’t think the photos in the book really did it justice - I wonder if it’s a little large for the model, actually - but once I’d seen naganasu’s beautiful version I knew I had to knit it.

I’m not the biggest fan of RYC Bamboo Soft, the recommended yarn. I mentioned my problems with it in an earlier post, and I wasn’t convinced it would hold up very well in a big, fairly heavy cardigan. The colours and price weren’t ideal, too, so I went for a soft cotton yarn in Garnstudio’s Safran. It’s very soft, the colours are to die for, and it’s not too expensive. It’s a dream to knit with: very smooth and not at all splitty. I chose the brightest turquoise they produce, and it’s so vibrant it practically glows. See for yourself:

To counter this eye-searing project, my Darcy jacket is quietly growing. The texture is delicious, and the gentle dove grey a pleasure to look at.

Recently I found out about Oxfam’s giant baby blanket campaign, and I’ve been knitting some squares to send off. You can read more about it here and here (Ravelry group here). It seems really worthwhile, and I hope they make their target of 250 000 squares. (I do not, admittedly, envy the task of the people sewing them together!)

I’m really looking forward to Kim Hargreaves’ new summer collection, “Nectar”. Looks like it’ll be released soon!